The Modoc nation’s legend "How Death Came into the World" parallels similar Native American tales, as well as the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
In Modoc belief, their Creator God Kumokums, whose name means 'Old Man of the Ancients', embarks on a journey to the Land of the Dead to recover his daughter’s spirit.
Despite the Modoc’s forced relocation in the 1860s, the core of their cultural narratives, including the tale of death’s origins, has been preserved and continues to be shared today.
The cultural isolation of the Modoc makes the similarities in their death origin myths with other Native groups particularly intriguing, as there has been no known direct contact.
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